Category Archives: Middle East

Kurdistan tours with Karwan

A few weeks before my trip to Iran I had already decided that I would visit Iraqi Kurdistan afterwards. However, I had no idea how to get around. Public transport is virtually non-existent outside of the cities and on top of this the tourism sector is not very well developed. Thus getting around outside the city would not be easy….

Luckily one taxi driver had the solution! His name is Karwan Wahed and this is his website. He is basically a taxi driver and an English-speaking guide at the same time.

On-arrival or at an embassy?

Applying for a visa is a costly and somewhat annoying part of travelling. It involves a lot of paperwork and a one might have to visit the embassy. In order to attract more visitors some countries allow visitors to apply for their visa upon arrival at the airport.

Supposedly Iran had introduced a visa-on-arrival programme several months before my trip. However, the information was very unclear. Some people said they could not get the visa on arrival and were send home. Consequently I decided to get my visa at the embassy. Continue reading →

Introduction

While I was travelling in Iran a man from Sulaymaniyah invited me to visit him went I got to Iraq. I only had 5 days in Iraq and therefore I originally planned to only visit Erbil and the surrounding areas. After tinkering a little with my schedule I decided that there was time left to visit Sulaymaniyah. And I am very happy that I did! Continue reading →

Before I went to Iran there were some things I did before, which were an absolute must. There were also some things I did not do before I went, but wish I did. Here is a list of 5 things you should do before visiting Iran.

1. Get cash

Most trade sanctions have been lifted from Iran by Obama. Despite this most banks are still reluctant to do business with Iranian banks, because they are afraid of ending up on a black list. Therefore most bank cards are not excepted in Iran. Continue reading →

Back to Tehran

In the beginning of March I woke up in Shiraz. I headed to the airport from where I flew back to Tehran. My plan was to catch a bus to Erbil in Iraq. However, I was not sure if this bus was even going. Let alone at what time the bus left and how long the journey would take.

After arriving at the West Bus Terminal in Tehran I found a bus company that regularly drives to Erbil. This was only the third company I asked so this was not bad. The ticket cost me the equivalent of about 25 euros. Although